Barber family reunion at Texas Stadium

Friday night’s preseason game at Texas Stadium will represent a family reunion of sorts for the Barber brothers – Marion of the Cowboys and Dominique of the Texans.

With Wade Phillips expected to play his starters well into the third quarter, there’s a good chance Marion, a Pro Bowl running back, and Dominique, a rookie free safety, could be on the field at the same time.

The Texans picked Dominique, who, like his brother, played his college ball at the University of Minnesota, in the sixth round of April’s NFL Draft.

“It would be a dream come true,” said Dominique, a rookie free safety. “The fact that you’re at the highest level of football and to be able to be on the field at the same time as my brother, I’d be speechless.”

Dominique says he talks to his older brother daily via phone.

“Even if it’s briefly, ‘Hey, how ya doing? How’s your body?’ Just little things like that,” Dominique said. “We have a great relationship, and I’m excited to see him Friday.”

Is he also excited about getting a chance to put a hit on him?

“It would be cool,” Dominique said, “but with the relationship we have, it’s not about who beats up who. He was never the type of guy to beat me up as the older brother. But if I could get a nice little lick on him, that would be nice.”

Dominique said it will also mean a lot to his parents to see him and his brother in action together. Their father, Marion Barber Jr., rushed for 3,235 yards and scored 34 touchdowns as an All-Big Ten running back for the University of Minnesota (1977-80) before enjoying a seven-year career with the New York Jets.

“He supports us, both my parents do,” Dominique said. “We have great parents. They raised us right and they are rpoud of us. There’s actually one more (brother). He’s only 10. We don’t know where he is going to be at (in the future), but we both think he’s the athlete of the family.”